The first genetic risk factor for migraine has been discovered. The gene is next to others involved in the metabolism of the neurotransmitter glutamate, researchers from the UK report in the journal Nature Genetics.
Migraine is a neurological condition characterized by repeated attacks of very severe headache. There are approximately 300 million people in the world who have migraine attacks every day. So far, the genetic basis of the disease has not been known.
Aarno Palotie and a team from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute studied the genetic material of nearly 5000 Europeans diagnosed with migraine. Scientists have found a link between a gene variant on chromosome 8 and the disease. Now they plan to investigate whether, like neighboring genes, it is involved in the regulation of glutamate-mediated signaling in the brain. (PAP)